1986 Ranger 2.9L 4x4 advice on how to make it look sweet for cheap?

[The Bandit]

Nah. Just spray it whatever shows from the outside black. Try to get really good coverage though, but you don't have to take anything apart. Just paint it all together. It looks great whenever you get done, despite sounding cheap and tacky.

Another thing to do is turn your wheels each way so you can get behind them and paint the frame behind the wheel. Or you can go all out and take the wheels off on one side and paint everything a little easier.

I've got a friend with a crusty '91 Ranger, so in a week or so we'll do his and take before and after pictures. Makes a world of difference when looking at the truck.

 

[Daven]

Nah. Just spray it whatever shows from the outside black. Try to get really good coverage though, but you don't have to take anything apart. Just paint it all together. It looks great whenever you get done, despite sounding cheap and tacky.

Another thing to do is turn your wheels each way so you can get behind them and paint the frame behind the wheel. Or you can go all out and take the wheels off on one side and paint everything a little easier.

I've got a friend with a crusty '91 Ranger, so in a week or so we'll do his and take before and after pictures. Makes a world of difference when looking at the truck.

ok that sounds cool but i still have a few questions about it. First, what paint should i use? Just spray paint will work? wont that make it look kinda crappy and come off the next winter? lol and also wont i need to thuroughly wash every part that im going to paint so that it sticks good and doesnt chip off? Same with anything you paint

 

[The Bandit]

Yeah, just $1 a can gloss black spray paint. I like the kind from Dollar General, but any brand will work. It won't look bad either, as long as you have good coverage. To make this paint "glossy" it has alot of hardener in it, and goes on thick. It is some tough paint if you don't care how smooth it goes on or really how glossy it is. This is also why I don't use flat black. It goes on thinner, turns grey, and has very little hardener in it. A good washing at the car wash (without the "wax") will probably be all the prep you'll need.

It'll stick good to the thick steel as well. Paint likes to have things to adhere to. The sheetmetal bodies of our trucks have to be sanded and sprayed with primer so that paint has something to adhere to. Thats why alot of spray paint jobs on sheetmetal or over paint simply flake off because the paint has nothing to "grab" to. The chassis and suspension components of our trucks are thick steel, with many scratches and pits from sand, dirt, salt, water, etc. being thrown all over them for years. Not to mention that thicker steel is usually not smooth to begin with like sheet steel.

Its the most abused and neglected part of the truck visible from the outside. Blacking it out will make this part of your truck blend into the "shadow" under your truck. Making your body, wheels, and stance more prominent, as well as your truck just looking cleaner overall.

I drive in all weather, year round, and go off-road frequently. I done this to my '86.5 Nissan when I got it two years and a half years ago. Three winters, plenty of mud, dirt, gravel, and water and I just redone it because it had started to fade and oxidize a little. I figure for the price of enough cans of "undercoat" to do my truck, I could spray bomb my truck every 2 1/2 years for 10 years for the same price.

I do this to all my vehicles, cars, trucks, 2wd, 4x4. Makes quite a bit of difference when you look at them.

 

[Daven]

Yeah, just $1 a can gloss black spray paint. I like the kind from Dollar General, but any brand will work. It won't look bad either, as long as you have good coverage. To make this paint "glossy" it has alot of hardener in it, and goes on thick. It is some tough paint if you don't care how smooth it goes on or really how glossy it is. This is also why I don't use flat black. It goes on thinner, turns grey, and has very little hardener in it. A good washing at the car wash (without the "wax") will probably be all the prep you'll need.

It'll stick good to the thick steel as well. Paint likes to have things to adhere to. The sheetmetal bodies of our trucks have to be sanded and sprayed with primer so that paint has something to adhere to. Thats why alot of spray paint jobs on sheetmetal or over paint simply flake off because the paint has nothing to "grab" to. The chassis and suspension components of our trucks are thick steel, with many scratches and pits from sand, dirt, salt, water, etc. being thrown all over them for years. Not to mention that thicker steel is usually not smooth to begin with like sheet steel.

Its the most abused and neglected part of the truck visible from the outside. Blacking it out will make this part of your truck blend into the "shadow" under your truck. Making your body, wheels, and stance more prominent, as well as your truck just looking cleaner overall.

I drive in all weather, year round, and go off-road frequently. I done this to my '86.5 Nissan when I got it two years and a half years ago. Three winters, plenty of mud, dirt, gravel, and water and I just redone it because it had started to fade and oxidize a little. I figure for the price of enough cans of "undercoat" to do my truck, I could spray bomb my truck every 2 1/2 years for 10 years for the same price.

I do this to all my vehicles, cars, trucks, 2wd, 4x4. Makes quite a bit of difference when you look at them.

Nice, thanks for the idea. how many can u think i will need? lol

 

[The Bandit]

Probably 4 or 5. I've done my car with two before.

Another thing I would advise you to do is find a place that will sell you good used tires. When I got my first truck, I though I had to buy new tires. I couldn't afford mud grips, and went with P235/75 with all weather tread. $300 and they looked like damn car tires when they put them on. 3 months later I hit a rock when I was ran out of the road by a wreckless driver and ripped the sidewall out of a tire and had to buy a new one. The edges wore off both front tires not long after from misalignment.

Later, I realized that I could've poked around the other Tire joint in town and got a good set of 30x9.50 mud grips for $15 a tire mounted and balanced and put the money I wasted on the new tires into something else on the truck.

You can find all kinds of neat wheels for cheap on Craigslist that will fit your truck. I just sold a set of aluminum explorer spokes for $50. Your bolt pattern is 5 on 4 1/2. From what I understand, alot of late model jeep wheels will bolt right up to your truck as well.

You can find all kinds of neat stuff used, that is just as good as new. I bought a $200 toolbox for my truck, and by the time I installed it my dad drug home a Dodge D-50 with a perfect toolbox in the bed. I got a bedliner for my truck for $10 out of a guys yard. One guy just gave me a step bumper. There are deals out there on good shit. It just takes some looking around.

 

[Daven]

Probably 4 or 5. I've done my car with two before.

Another thing I would advise you to do is find a place that will sell you good used tires. When I got my first truck, I though I had to buy new tires. I couldn't afford mud grips, and went with P235/75 with all weather tread. $300 and they looked like damn car tires when they put them on. 3 months later I hit a rock when I was ran out of the road by a wreckless driver and ripped the sidewall out of a tire and had to buy a new one. The edges wore off both front tires not long after from misalignment.

Later, I realized that I could've poked around the other Tire joint in town and got a good set of 30x9.50 mud grips for $15 a tire mounted and balanced and put the money I wasted on the new tires into something else on the truck.

You can find all kinds of neat wheels for cheap on Craigslist that will fit your truck. I just sold a set of aluminum explorer spokes for $50. Your bolt pattern is 5 on 4 1/2. From what I understand, alot of late model jeep wheels will bolt right up to your truck as well.

You can find all kinds of neat stuff used, that is just as good as new. I bought a $200 toolbox for my truck, and by the time I installed it my dad drug home a Dodge D-50 with a perfect toolbox in the bed. I got a bedliner for my truck for $10 out of a guys yard. One guy just gave me a step bumper. There are deals out there on good shit. It just takes some looking around.

ya i know, but its also all on who u know lol. for tires i barely know where to look for the new ones right now tho i need to fix the gash in the rear drivers side fender cuz thats nasty... :/

 

[The Bandit]

Haha, you just got to put yourself out there. Don't be afraid to pull up and ask the dirtiest guy in the shop if they sell used tires. I was a little afraid at first too-but now their good friends of mine.

Don't go to established chains either, they'd rather be doing a oil change on a new Kia Sorento as help you out.

As for your bed, do the best you can with a hammer and bondo. If your not satisfied, put a flat bed on it with a roll bar and high mount spare.

 

[Daven]

Haha, you just got to put yourself out there. Don't be afraid to pull up and ask the dirtiest guy in the shop if they sell used tires. I was a little afraid at first too-but now their good friends of mine.

Don't go to established chains either, they'd rather be doing a oil change on a new Kia Sorento as help you out.

As for your bed, do the best you can with a hammer and bondo. If your not satisfied, put a flat bed on it with a roll bar and high mount spare.

The hammer and bondo would make sense, if i wasnt afraid that i was gonna break off a peice of rust and mess it up worse. For all i know, the only thing really holding it together is that body filler crap

 

[The Bandit]

For some reason or another first and second gen rangers seem to have the worst beds of any trucks I've ever seen.

If I still had mine, I'd probably have put a stepside off an older truck, or flatbed on it. I've got pictures somewhere. It was awful. Perfect cab, but the bed was caved in, rusted out, warped, spray painted, and then gobbed with bondo.

 

[Daven]

For some reason or another first and second gen rangers seem to have the worst beds of any trucks I've ever seen.

If I still had mine, I'd probably have put a stepside off an older truck, or flatbed on it. I've got pictures somewhere. It was awful. Perfect cab, but the bed was caved in, rusted out, warped, spray painted, and then gobbed with bondo.

Well does anyone have some suggestions on how i can kind of cover it up for cheap? Like not a complete fix, but at loeast not so noticable? the crack is sticking out on the one side (doesnt line up anymore) so i cant straight bond it back.

 

[The Bandit]

Can you take a picture of it and post up on here? Use photobucket.com to upload.

 

[Daven]

Can you take a picture of it and post up on here? Use photobucket.com to upload.

Idk what photobucket is but the only picture i currently have of it i already posted on this wikispace (from lack of another way to post for u guys lol)

http://truuuuuuck.wikispaces.com/Rust

Notice how it sticks out a bit on the one side, if it didnt do that i would have looked more into the body filler or whatever its called. I will try to take some more pics when im out later today, but its dark and rainy out here so i probably wont get good ones.

 

[The Bandit]

Damn...

 

[The Bandit]

Looks like you can see some of the original bed under that mess. The wheel well was probably starting to rust and somebody just gobbed a big mess of old bondo they had under the work bench over top of it and hoped for the best.

Grab that with your hands and see how much of it will break off, it its still peeling up, but not enough to pull it off by hand, chisel it off with a screw driver. If its still stuck to the metal without any gaps, leave it on there. Then you can start to sand/grind it down to metal to reapply your own filler. Thats about the only way to do it on a budget.

I think a gallon of bondo with hardener, and a set of paddles is about $20 at Advance Auto Parts. File, sand, fill, and prime and hope for the best. You can always do it over again if you mess it up.

 

[Daven]

Looks like you can see some of the original bed under that mess. The wheel well was probably starting to rust and somebody just gobbed a big mess of old bondo they had under the work bench over top of it and hoped for the best.

Grab that with your hands and see how much of it will break off, it its still peeling up, but not enough to pull it off by hand, chisel it off with a screw driver. If its still stuck to the metal without any gaps, leave it on there. Then you can start to sand/grind it down to metal to reapply your own filler. Thats about the only way to do it on a budget.

I think a gallon of bondo with hardener, and a set of paddles is about $20 at Advance Auto Parts. File, sand, fill, and prime and hope for the best. You can always do it over again if you mess it up.

lol thanks for posting the pic. So i should see if the bondo already on there peels off? Also, wouldnt sanding the stuff thats on there now not work because of the gap? Should i try and bend it back or will it break off? Also, wont the new bondo be noticably different on colour? I really want it to look cool, as if it was never there lol